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Murder in Candlekeep: Volume 1: Janussi's gambit
In a world where knowledge is power and Candlekeep is its vault, six unlikely souls are drawn into a conspiracy older than kingdoms and darker than hell itself.
When the Keeper of Tomes is murdered under impossible magical circumstances, an eclectic band—composed of a disgraced dragonborn prince, a wererat ranger haunted by his family’s death, a big-mouthed halfling professor, a monk with a debt to the dead, a brooding elven warlock, and a silent feline touched by powers unknown—is tasked with unraveling the truth. But truth is dangerous in Candlekeep. Especially when it sings.
A cursed rhyme whispers through the halls. A forgotten demon-spirit stirs beneath the stacks. And in the shadows, a beholder named Salabur—puppet master, pact-broker, devourer of kings — pulls the strings of war, politics, and memory, one soul at a time. With the continent’s great powers distracted by internal strife, devils breach the veil between planes—and the six are sent on a doomed expedition into the ruins of Mithral Hall, a dwarven metropolis now lost to shadow, rot, and betrayal.
They were sent to die. But death may be the only way out.
When the Keeper of Tomes is murdered under impossible magical circumstances, an eclectic band—composed of a disgraced dragonborn prince, a wererat ranger haunted by his family’s death, a big-mouthed halfling professor, a monk with a debt to the dead, a brooding elven warlock, and a silent feline touched by powers unknown—is tasked with unraveling the truth. But truth is dangerous in Candlekeep. Especially when it sings.
A cursed rhyme whispers through the halls. A forgotten demon-spirit stirs beneath the stacks. And in the shadows, a beholder named Salabur—puppet master, pact-broker, devourer of kings — pulls the strings of war, politics, and memory, one soul at a time. With the continent’s great powers distracted by internal strife, devils breach the veil between planes—and the six are sent on a doomed expedition into the ruins of Mithral Hall, a dwarven metropolis now lost to shadow, rot, and betrayal.
They were sent to die. But death may be the only way out.
332 pages, Paperback
Published June 12, 2025
6 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 8, 2025
This book has a really interesting concept. And the writing style is so unique and different to what I’ve read before.
After all the characters have met, it really starts to pick up, and hooks you in. I like the fact it feels like you’re in a campaign (minus the risk of rolling a nat. 1).
I’m looking forward to seeing where the adventure takes the group, and what happens in book 2.
For DND fans and readers out there, definitely give this book a read!
After all the characters have met, it really starts to pick up, and hooks you in. I like the fact it feels like you’re in a campaign (minus the risk of rolling a nat. 1).
I’m looking forward to seeing where the adventure takes the group, and what happens in book 2.
For DND fans and readers out there, definitely give this book a read!
June 7, 2025
Phenomenal D&D universe book: reads fast and it’s so much fun ! Highly recommend and can’t wait for volume 2
August 24, 2025
If you want to read something that sounds like ChatGPT took a massive dump on a D&D rulebook, this is your guy. This is pure IP theft dressed up as authorship. He rips off Wizards of the Coast, waves a grotesquely misinformed reading of their Fan Content Policy around like a hall pass, and charges money for it. It’s shameless, and it’s stupid.
And what’s he selling? AI garbage. The cover is a MidJourney vomit draft. The prose is the same hollow cadence and prefab melodrama we’ve seen a hundred times from every other grifter who thinks typing “epic fantasy” into a bot that doesn’t know a story from a grocery list makes them Tolkien’s heir apparent.
And that’s the real insult: he’s peddling this as if it belongs on the same shelves as real authors who actually sat down and bled for their words. This is the opposite of creativity, and most definitely the opposite of fandom. He's looking for quick cash, banking on the hope that the audience won’t notice (or care) how fake it all is.
Consider this a warning: there are bad books, there are lazy books, and then there’s this.
And what’s he selling? AI garbage. The cover is a MidJourney vomit draft. The prose is the same hollow cadence and prefab melodrama we’ve seen a hundred times from every other grifter who thinks typing “epic fantasy” into a bot that doesn’t know a story from a grocery list makes them Tolkien’s heir apparent.
And that’s the real insult: he’s peddling this as if it belongs on the same shelves as real authors who actually sat down and bled for their words. This is the opposite of creativity, and most definitely the opposite of fandom. He's looking for quick cash, banking on the hope that the audience won’t notice (or care) how fake it all is.
Consider this a warning: there are bad books, there are lazy books, and then there’s this.
September 25, 2025
I haven’t played D&D before, but now I want to!!
Murder in Candlekeep: Janussi’s Gambit is a fantasy adventure based on D&D, but written in a way that any lover of fantasy - whether a D&D fan or not - can enjoy it. It’s immersive, entertaining and a page turner.
There are a handful of main characters who are all unique and interesting, and we get to know them and their backstories along the way. I loved how we got to meet them individually, before the group got together for the main thrust of the story.
It’s very clear that the author has a passion for D&D, writing, and this story, and his passion is infused through the book making it a lot of fun to read - even when you’re on the edge of your seat wondering if the characters will survive.
I’ve already got book 2, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Murder in Candlekeep: Janussi’s Gambit is a fantasy adventure based on D&D, but written in a way that any lover of fantasy - whether a D&D fan or not - can enjoy it. It’s immersive, entertaining and a page turner.
There are a handful of main characters who are all unique and interesting, and we get to know them and their backstories along the way. I loved how we got to meet them individually, before the group got together for the main thrust of the story.
It’s very clear that the author has a passion for D&D, writing, and this story, and his passion is infused through the book making it a lot of fun to read - even when you’re on the edge of your seat wondering if the characters will survive.
I’ve already got book 2, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
October 16, 2025
Murder in Candlekeep is an impressively ambitious novel that delivers on its intriguing premise. It successfully merges the claustrophobic tension of a locked-room murder with the expansive scope of an epic Forgotten Realms campaign. Badi utilizes the iconic setting of Candlekeep perfectly, showing it not just as a repository of knowledge but as a place where secrets are deadly weapons.
While the plot is dense and sometimes moves at a breakneck pace—a nod to the complexity of the ancient conspiracy—it is consistently rewarding.
Highly recommended for fantasy readers who appreciate richly developed characters and mysteries with world-altering consequences.
While the plot is dense and sometimes moves at a breakneck pace—a nod to the complexity of the ancient conspiracy—it is consistently rewarding.
Highly recommended for fantasy readers who appreciate richly developed characters and mysteries with world-altering consequences.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews